Crying at work

[Sarahc123]

I had an episode today where a slight inconvenience made me cry to the point I could no longer do my job. I was also getting overly emotional about little things and was unable to let things go. I need help! It could affect my job and my ability to perform. As well as being embarrassing. Help!!? How can I stop the crying when something happens that either causes me stress or that I am not happy with??

[Aaronsis]

Hi Sarah C

I am so sorry you are experiencing this, not only does it make you feel like you have no control but it is very embarrassing. I too have been in this situation and it was also at work, one episode had my almost hyperventilating and crying with noise coming out that was humiliating over a spreadsheet.

This had to stop... I took time to try to assess what the root causes were and for me I felt totally I accepted by my new work colleagues, I was so much older and felt like I didn’t fit in, this lead to be questioning my work and slowly seeing my self confidence going down the drain. I was so full of emotion that it had to come out, any small hick up and I burst into tears... this is not me!

I left that job pretty quickly, I am not saying that you should but some time to sit and maybe write down all you are feeling and what things set you off, if you know that is, you may not and that is fine, maybe a chat to tour manager to get some feedback if you are concerned how you are performing and to let them know how you are feeling and to get some support.

Emotions always find a way to shine.. good and bad. I hope you can be kind to you and listen to your body telling you it is full.

I hope to chat to you some more and support you through this, to comfort you in this time.

Hugs to you Sarah C

Sarah

[Aphador]

Hi Sarah C! 🙂

Welcome to the forums!

It sucks when we feel as though we are unable to control ourselves. Often, emotions take control of our bodies and cause us to do things we don't want to do. You are not alone here, trust me!

Gaining control over your emotions is difficult, but there are some tools that can help. I would personally recommend mindfulness/meditation- this has been the single most effective thing for myself when attempting to control overwhelming sadness or anger. There are currently some good resources on the home page of Beyond Blue's website that can help you get started.

Alternatively, if you are into reading, there is a great Self-Help book titled 'Awaken the Giant Within' by Tony Robbins that has some great sections about controlling emotions. It acts somewhat as a guidebook, with a multitude of exercises that you complete as you slowly read through the book.

As Sarah suggested above, journalling is also a fantastic way to collect your thoughts!

I hope I have been of some help to you
I would love to hear more from you, and hope that you find a great support network here on the forums
A 🙂

[pinwheel23]

Hi Sarah C,

Welcome to the forums and thank you for reaching out. It must be really difficult wanting to hold in your emotions at work.

I hope you have a supportive colleagues at your workplace that are understanding and give you space when you're feeling this way.

Journaling/writing out your feelings can be helpful to understand your thoughts, as Aaronsis and Aphador said. I personally find it helpful to close my eyes and slowly count down from 10 to calm myself down when I'm feeling overwhelmed and teary.

There are some relaxation techniques on this page that you might find helpful: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/staying-well/relaxation-exercises

Hope to hear more about how you're going and whether you've come across a strategy that helps. Reading others' tips about managing these kinds of feelings on these forums can be quite helpful as well.

Take care

[LS128]

Hi Sarahc123,

I am sorry to hear that you have had to go through such emotions whilst at work. I have had this experience in the past at my old work place, where a comment by my manager about a spreadsheet I was working on made me go into a silent corner in a room and cry uncontrollably. This felt embarrassing at the time, but was an important inflexion point for self reflection.

I recommend (if you haven't done so already) confiding with people you trust either inside or outside of work to try and see if there is something else that made you cry. After discussing it with a few people, it turned out in my case there was a pattern of bullying that had occurred which I thought was normal behaviour as this was my first job after University. The spreadsheet comment was not the issue.

Also make sure you are taking the time to look after yourself outside of work. It could be something as simple as meditation or a walk everyday, reading a book, or doing something else you enjoy. I find that this helps me reset and recenter any stress and negative emotions that I am feeling, so that I can approach the next day feeling happier and accomplished.

It is courageous of you to recognise your emotions, be it positive or negative. Please reach out if you feel the same feeling of stress and uncontrollable emotions again and will be glad to support.

LS128